The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1887-08-12
ACROSS THE ISLAND.
\ TRIP OVER MERRIE ENGLAND
ON A TRICYCLE..
Over the Highways and Byways of
Britain-The Run from London to Gull
ford Pleasantly Told and Pictured.
Especial Correspondence.

BrlEal0-1ho Run from AOhQOn TO Gull
ford Pleasantly Told and Pictured.
Especial Correspondence.
LONDON, July IS.
When it was first suggested to ME to take a
trip across England on a tricycle. looked upon
the matter as joke. First, weighed dam
gerously near 100 pounds; second, had
never in my life mounted either tricycle., BIZ
cycle or velocipede, and third, l knew nothing
of the roads. l had often thought of a walk
across England. and especially through Dor
set, Devon and Cornwall; but that takes 20
much time. had often longed for coach
and four with which to dash over the splen-
did roads and through the green winding
lanes of England, but only millionaires travel
this way; and had often hoped that some
day / might be able to jog over those roads
with a good stout horse and trap. AS for
railroads, despise them as means OF see
ing England. They give no conception of the
ancient towns and antique villages, the green
hedges thick with wild flowers, its rare bits Of
woodland or of the stately homes and vii
lage life. You are rushed along from place
to place. and can generally rely Oh passing
through the meanest quarters of the towns
and cities on the route.
Why not try tricycle.? There was little or
no danger from "headers," as on the bicycle.
The machine has three wheels and will carry
good weight And SO l began to make i'll
QuirieS, with a view of ascertaining how far
| should be able to ride i'll a day, the best ma
chine to use, and such other facts as one seri-
ously interested but utterly ignorant OF what
was before him would naturally want t'
know. In regard to the first question wit3
difference of opinion exists. One gentleman,
a professional cyclist, remarked: "If you i'll
tend to keep it up, say for week, you ought
only to do moderate days work Oh the first
day, say 700 or 120 miles"
"Yes," replied, "it will be necessary to
restrain my ardor at first, for l o ly intend
to cross England from east to west at its
broadest point, and very few runs of 100
miles will accomplish that task"
Another gentleman, somewhat experienced
i'll cycling, said fffsyy f miles day WAS about
right. while my nearest friends thought about
twenty miles day would find me stiff and
tired at roadside inn. In the meantime
had found young American journalist, Mr..
Frederic Hart Wilson, of New York, who
was willing to try the trip on tandem
machine. Mr.. Wilson is an amateur pllotog-
rapher, and proposed to bring his apparatus
with him, ami thus enable US to take i'll
Simultaneous photographs along the roads and
byways of the southern counties of e E,;,land.
Having secured new machine, thoroughly
fitted out with luggage carrier, lamp, tool
bag, ETC. it became necessary to purchase an
outfit. A couple Of blue flannel Shirts two
pairs Of woolen stockings knee breeches, an
easy fitting blue cloth coat, and two or three
silk handkerchiefs to tie around the neck.
The total cost of the outfit was $15. The
next question was the route to travel. We
were both strangers to the roads of Engl land,
and certainly did not know the best route.
Some one suggested a cyclists map, but after
inspecting some of them / concluded that
good county maps of each county we in
tended to pass through would answer the pur-
pose best-a conclusion, by the way, / have
never re~-etted A,lrd to this we continu
a.. asseL questions OF the country peopIe ON
the road in relation to the roads iii thei.
locality. l was frequently struck with the
reliability of the information this obtained.
1t is we'll to bear this point i'll mind
In the matter of luggage we each took
cll;srse of unlerclothing. a night dress, over
coat. light macintosh and the Photographic
apparatus, including tripod
At last the day and the hour had arrived
when was to mount a tricycle. for the first
time in my life, and what was still worse,
get out of tile city of London ON it. The ma
chine was sent up from the office of the COM
pany in Holborn to the door of my lodgings
opposite the British museum, and awaited the
cyclists at the door, / had donned my kn4e
breech. S, long stockings and cyclist ja ket.
For the first time in years I had abolished
suspenders, thrown away starchetl shirts and
flung my stiff collar into the corner. In their
place was rubber belt blue flannel shirt
and silk neckerchief. stuck to the Ameri-
can slouch hat. 1 slipped down those lodging
house stairs on Great Russell street, feeling
like monumental fraud. To all appearances
/ might have been a champion cyclist from
America. The muscle was there, the weight
was there, and the costume led the unwary
to believe that had been accustomed to the
business from early childhood. / knew that
the daughter of the lodging house proprietor
anil the rest OF the family would be mt the
window to see the start. | felt morally GER
tain that the servants would loiter around
the front door, and that grinnng buttons
would insist on holding the straps as We
+ staned on the luggage. was not disap-
pointed. Nor was this all. here was my
ANXIOUS wife up stairs She knew the truth.
She knew what hollow mockery was stalk
in. down to the marlboro tandem" below.
One false step and that gentle woman would